logo
RBI panel submits report on framework for AI use to foster innovation and mitigate risks in financial sector

RBI panel submits report on framework for AI use to foster innovation and mitigate risks in financial sector

Economic Times5 days ago
Synopsis
The Reserve Bank of India has introduced a framework for the responsible and ethical integration of Artificial Intelligence in the financial sector. Anchored by seven core principles, the framework includes twenty-six recommendations across six strategic pillars. This initiative follows surveys and stakeholder consultations aimed at understanding AI adoption and challenges within the financial industry.
Reuters As Artificial Intelligence enters everyday life, the Reserve Bank of India's panel on Wednesday submitted its report on framework for Responsible and Ethical Enablement of Artificial Intelligence (FREE-AI) in the financial sector. "The framework is anchored in seven sutras which serve as the foundational principles and is operationalised through twenty-six targeted recommendations under six strategic pillars," said RBI in its document. "In order to encourage the responsible and ethical adoption of AI in the financial sector, the FREE-AI Committee was constituted by the Reserve Bank of India. The RBI conducted two surveys to understand current AI adoption and challenges in the financial sector. The Committee referenced these surveys and, in addition, undertook extensive stakeholder consultations to gain further insights," said the RBI panel's document. The Committee formulated 7 Sutras that represent the core principles to guide AI adoption in the financial sector. These are: (i) Trust is the Foundation (ii) People First
(iii) Innovation over Restraint (iv) Fairness and Equity (v) Accountability (vi) Understandable by Design
(vii) Safety, Resilience and Sustainability
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

She studied at a top U.S. university, works as a senior techie at Google, yet H-1B visa jitters shadow her American dream
She studied at a top U.S. university, works as a senior techie at Google, yet H-1B visa jitters shadow her American dream

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

She studied at a top U.S. university, works as a senior techie at Google, yet H-1B visa jitters shadow her American dream

From Brown University to Big Tech You Might Also Like: US computer science degrees from top universities are leaving graduates jobless: Why is top coding education no longer enough? The Weight of Uncertainty Life Plans on Hold Another Risk in the Process — svembu (@svembu) For many, a degree from an Ivy League university and a career with global tech giants like Facebook and Google might sound like a perfect ticket to stability in the United States. For Indian-born Surbhi Madan, however, the story is more complicated. Despite 12 years in the US and nearly a decade at Google, she says the uncertainty of her H-1B visa status continues to shape her life in unexpected 30-year-old senior software engineer recently shared her story with Business Insider, offering a candid glimpse into the hidden insecurities behind a glittering résumé.Madan moved to the US in 2013 to pursue her bachelor's degree at Brown University, inspired by her elder brother's academic journey. After interning at Google's New York office, she secured a full-time role before graduation in 2017. Her first stroke of luck came when she won the H-1B visa lottery on her initial attempt.'I feel like I got really lucky when I compare it to the situation for recent graduates now,' she told Business career path has since been enviable: a stint with Facebook's feed-ranking team, followed by leadership roles in Google Maps infrastructure and AI integrations. But behind the professional success lies a quieter, more fragile working in the US for over a decade, Madan admits that her life often feels temporary. Everyday decisions—from apartment leases to community volunteering—are filtered through the lens of her visa status.'I refrain from volunteering because it means contacting my immigration lawyer to make sure it's safe,' she explained. Even driving mistakes or tax filing errors, she fears, could jeopardize her stay.A comment by a border officer once drove the point home: when she said she 'lived' in the US, the officer corrected her, saying, 'You don't live here; you work here.' The moment, she said, stayed with constraints of the H-1B system affect not only her career mobility but also her personal milestones. Madan has contemplated freezing her eggs but worried about whether she could access them if she lost her work authorization. 'I can't imagine having a person depend on me while I'm on a temporary status tied to having a job,' she ambitions beyond coding also face roadblocks. With a passion for teaching and mentoring women in tech , Madan has thought about transitioning into education, but her visa does not permit alternative career paths outside her sponsoring many immigrants in similar positions, Surbhi's experience underscores the paradox of the American dream: the country welcomes global talent but ties their future to the unpredictability of a lottery system.'I sit down once a year and ask myself if this is still worth it. So far, the answer has been yes,' Surbhi story adds to the growing debate about whether the US immigration system can keep pace with the realities of the modern workforce—especially when even top tech talent with world-class education faces long-term founder Sridhar Vembu recently highlighted another risk: the financial burden of overseas education. In a post on X, he shared the case of a student who borrowed ₹70 lakh (about $80,000) at a steep 12% interest rate to study at a relatively unknown US university, only to struggle repaying the loan amid poor job prospects. Vembu urged students and families to think twice before taking on such heavy debt, warning that 'we should not trap young people in debt in the name of education.'

​Required reforms: on reforms to the GST system
​Required reforms: on reforms to the GST system

The Hindu

time3 hours ago

  • The Hindu

​Required reforms: on reforms to the GST system

The central government's proposals to reform the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system are bold and timely. They stand to benefit the middle class and the business community, as the government claims. Shifting 99% of the items in the 12% slab to a 5% tax rate, and 90% of the items in the 28% slab to 18% will substantially reduce the tax burden on most consumers. Rationalising the number of slabs and shifting similar products to the same slab will also reduce ambiguity and litigation, which are the major issues businesses have with the current GST setup. Further, while most of the focus has been captured by the rate restructuring proposals, the procedural reforms regarding registration, return filing and refunds are equally important. Simplifying GST is not just about reducing the multiplicity of rates but also about making it easier and less time-consuming for tax-payers to navigate the system. Easing registration, simplifying returns and speeding up refunds, therefore, are welcome improvements the Centre is pursuing. Combined with the new Income Tax Bill and the rejig of income-tax slabs in this year's Budget, these GST reforms will highlight 2025 as a watershed year for tax reform — direct as well as indirect tax. While the government has not made an official estimate of what the revenue impact of these reductions will be, sources have said that it expects a hit. Two years ago, the Reserve Bank of India had estimated that the average GST rate was 11.6%, which is now expected to fall substantially. However, the government is confident that an increase in consumption and a widening of the tax base will offset most of the revenue loss. With a large number of items set to be taxed at just 5%, the incentives for input tax credit scams and tax evasion will also be substantially removed. A willingness to risk some amount of revenue in order to boost domestic consumption bodes well for the economy, especially at a time when export demand is faltering due to tariff uncertainties. It remains to be seen how the State governments will react to this proposed revenue surrender. They have already been lobbying the Sixteenth Finance Commission to increase the share of States in central taxes. These tax cuts will also make it even more unlikely that petroleum products — a major source of States' revenues — will be included in the GST any time soon. Politically, it will be difficult for the States to directly oppose these rate reductions, but they might instead pressure the Centre for compensation once again. Crucially, the Centre will be reaching out to the States over the next few weeks to put forth its case. It is important that their concerns are taken on board as well.

Brutal CEO cut 80% of workers who rejected AI - 2 years later he says he would do it again
Brutal CEO cut 80% of workers who rejected AI - 2 years later he says he would do it again

Time of India

time3 hours ago

  • Time of India

Brutal CEO cut 80% of workers who rejected AI - 2 years later he says he would do it again

When most leaders cautiously tested AI, Eric Vaughan, the CEO of IgniteTech, took a gamble that shocked the tech world. The IgniteTech CEO replaced nearly 80% of his staff in a bold move to make artificial intelligence the company's foundation. His decision, controversial yet transformative, shows the brutal reality of adapting to disruption. Vaughan's story shows that businesses must change their culture, not just their technology, to thrive in the AI era. In early 2023, IgniteTech CEO Eric Vaughan faced one of his toughest decisions. Convinced that artificial intelligence was not just a tool but an existential shift for every business, he dismantled his company's traditional structure. ALSO READ: Orca attack mystery: What really happened to marine trainer Jessica Radcliffe Why did IgniteTech face resistance to AI? Live Events When Vaughan first pushed the company to use AI, he spent a lot of money on training. Mondays turned into "AI Mondays," which were only for learning new skills, trying out new tools, and starting pilot projects. IgniteTech paid for employees to take AI-related courses and even brought in outside experts to help with adoption, as per a report by Fortune. However, resistance emerged rapidly. It was surprising that the most pushback came from technical employees, not sales or marketing. A lot of people were doubtful about what AI could do, focusing on what it couldn't do instead of what it could do. Some people openly refused to take part, while others worked against the projects. Vaughan said that the resistance was so strong that it was almost sabotage. His experience is backed up by research. According to a 2025 report on enterprise AI adoption, one in three workers said they were against or even sabotaging AI projects, usually because they were afraid of losing their jobs or were frustrated with tools that weren't fully developed, as per a report by Fortune. ALSO READ: Apple iPhone 17 Air and Pro get surprise release date change — here's the new timeline How did Vaughan rebuild the company? Vaughan came to the conclusion that believing in AI was not up for debate. Instead of making his current employees change, he started hiring new people who shared his vision. He called these new hires "AI innovation specialists." This change affected every department, including sales and finance, as per a report by Fortune. Thibault Bridel-Bertomeu, IgniteTech's new chief AI officer, was a key hire. Vaughan reorganized the company so that every division reported to AI after he joined. This centralization stopped things from being done twice and made it easier for people to work together, which is a common problem when companies use AI. The change was expensive, disruptive, and emotionally draining, but Vaughan says it had to said, "It was harder to change minds than to add skills,' as per a report by Fortune. What can other companies learn from this? Even though it hurt, IgniteTech got a lot of benefits. By the end of 2024, it had released two AI solutions that were still in the patent process. One of them was Eloquens AI, an email automation platform. Revenue remained in the nine-figure range, with profit margins near 75% Ebitda. During the chaos, the company even made a big purchase. ALSO READ: Alien Attack in November? Harvard scientists warn mysterious space object could be advanced technology Vaughan's story teaches us a crucial lesson: using AI is as much about culture as it is about technology. While companies like Ikea focus on augmenting workers instead of replacing them, Vaughan chose radical restructuring to ensure alignment. Both methods show how hard it is for businesses to find a balance between trust and innovation. FAQs Why did Eric Vaughan fire so many people at IgniteTech? He thought that people who didn't want to use AI would hurt the company's future, so he decided to rebuild with people who shared his vision. What happened after IgniteTech changed its AI? The company introduced new AI products, set up a central AI division, and made more money, even though the change was hard.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store